J. Frank Hopkins

In 1902, J. Frank Hopkins replaced Charles P. Lowe as Edison’s principal xylophone soloist. Within a year, Hopkins made fifteen xylophone recordings for the Edison label. By this time, Edison was using the new gold-moulding process that permitted an almost unlimited number of copies to be produced from a master cylinder. In 1903, Hopkins recorded three bell solo titles with Edward F. Rubsam, and Albert Benzler recorded two xylophone solo titles. By 1904, Hopkins was replaced by Benzler who then remade most of Hopkins' earlier xylophone recordings before the end of 1908. Beyond these bare facts, almost nothing is known of J. Frank Hopkins’s life or career.

This information is taken from William Cahn, The Xylophone in Acoustic Recordings (1877 to 1929). Bloomfield, NY: Cahn Publishing, 1996.

Listen to the Cylinders:

Mr. Dooley Medley, xylophone. Edison Gold Moulded cylinder 8366 (2 minutes). Recorded March 1903. [Also recorded by Albert Benzler before December 1908.]

Under the Bamboo Tree Medley, xylophone. Edison Gold Moulded cylinder 8396 (2 minutes). Recorded May 1903. [Also recorded by Albert Benzler before December 1908.]